Tuesday, July 3, 2012

If You're Gonna Do What You've Always Done, You're Gonna Get What You've Always Got

Hello World!.....I thought this title would be the perfect subject matter to launch the inaugural post for the Good Cells Gone Wild blog. Yes, folks. . . . the moment you have been waiting for has finally come. I have collected my thoughts and real-world experiences during my breast cancer journey over the last two years and it is time to unleash the hounds on an unsuspecting public. Aren't you the lucky ones!!

So, first things first. Why call it Good Cells Gone Wild? Well. . . because I think it is a hilarious play on the mammary success of the Joe Francis million-dollar franchise - considering my breast cancer diagnosis in 2010. Such a fascination with boobs in this world! Of course, post-double mastectomy and post-reconstruction surgery, I now have a serious rack thanks to good 'ol Canadian healthcare. With a nod to the healthcare taxes I have paid over the years, I lovingly call them my *government-issue guns*. For my US family and friends, no . . .I am not about to go all Charlton Heston/NRA'y on you but . . I just might go for an abridged version of the second amendment and have the *right-to-bare-my-new-charms*. I mean, these new girls are sick! I just hope Mr. Francis does not come after me for patent infringement like he did Madonna. We shall see!

Anyhoo ...back on topic. So, why this blog thingy again?

Well, as the title to this post says *if you are gonna do what you've always done, you're gonna get what you've always got*. After my diagnosis, I did a lot of soul-searching and a lot of disease researching. What I have learned is profound. From the fact that each and every one of us have dormant cancer cells within us, to what we eat and how we live our lives (stressful or not), to what can contribute to how good cells can go wild and cause disease in our body. If we don't learn how to listen to our body and understand what it is telling us through our weight gain, energy loss, aches and pains, disease, etc.,...well....we will just keep getting sicker and sicker as a society. I mean, honestly, we take better care of our cars than we do our own bodies!

Let me be clear, I am not a medical doctor and this is not a medical blog that would take the place of sound medical advice. However, I am a resourceful cancer patient who has taken control of her health and her healthcare. What I hope to do is share those lessons I have learned as well as the research I have uncovered during my wee little adventure. I also want to spread the word on how l learned not only to be my own healthcare advocate but also how to be my own patient advocate in an ever-complex healthcare system (even here in Canada). Its easy and relatively painless :)

And. . . in the 21st century, there is an app for that! I hope to share with you how I used technology to gather, capture and maintain my own personal health record so I would never fall through the cracks again. Despite the challenges I faced along the way, technology actually made my journey a little fun.

I am not just another cancer patient. I am a geek-chick armed with a wicked sense of humour and an iPad . . . who just happened to have breast cancer.

2 comments:

I too was diagnosed in the spring of 2010. May 4th to be exact! :) I ask for all my medical records and boy can it be difficult!! It was a battle at first, but now all my doctors know...I will be asking for ALL the information of what was done at any appointment! I have a very large pink binder that is way too full. I love the idea of putting it all onto my iPad!! Any helpful hints on where to start? Thanks for your thoughts!!~Tracey

Well done for getting your medical records and insisting upon it Momared!! You are truly a rock star for being persistent yet firm about bringing your expertise to the clinical table!

Sorry for my delayed reply but I just came back from visiting my surgical oncologist and am happy to reply that she was elated that I was equipped with all my images and reports for my one year post-treatment follow-up. So, keep on keeping on! You are fighting the good fight my sweet!!

As for the helpful hints, the first step is just scanning in those key pieces of clinical data from your lovely pink binder (my was boring business black - exciting, not so much!!) Once they are scanned in, you can upload them to your computer and then set up a file system to locate them. You know, you can use file headers such as Lab Reports, Pathology Reports, Imaging, etc. - whatever suits your fancy!

Its all good Momared! You don't need anything more that - really, really! (nod to Shrek here )

I will be expanding more on this topic in a post coming in the next few weeks. I have tested on both MAC and PC (wait a tick - maybe you and I can be the next commercial for these duelling platforms!...er...banjos!!..lol!)

In the words of my wise Granny....all that matters, is what you do next.